Afghan Parliament to Open despite Constitutional Crisis

After a winter break, President Ashraf Ghani will officially inaugurate the National Assembly on Wednesday.

Lawmakers are calling the inauguration of the lower house of parliament which is entering its eighth constitutional year of 16th legislative term as illegal.

“The Afghan Constitution has set an end date for the parliament. Based on the Constitution, the mandate of the parliament ends on the 1st of Saratan of the fifth year, but MPs emphasize on the phrase – after the elections – which I believe their claim is against the Constitution,” said Nasrullah Stanekzai, a legal analyst.

Mawla Mohammad Paikan, another legal analyst, emphasized that the government must hold parliamentary and district councils elections as soon as possible.

But some parliamentarians claim that they are launching another lawful term.

“We will continue our lawful work until the elections,” said Nazir Ahmad Ahmadzai, the second deputy speaker of the lower house of parliament.

Meanwhile, Ramazan Bashardoost, a member of parliament representing the capital Kabul, said the National Assembly itself was a factor of challenges in the country.

“We were tons of salts over the wounds of the nation. We had no achievement, rather we were part of the challenges,” Mr. Bashardoost explicitly said.